


Three

by TheGreatCatsby



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Magic, Thor 2, frigga and loki feels, frigga is dead, magical theory, that warning about violence is there just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2013-08-13
Packaged: 2017-12-23 09:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/924909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatCatsby/pseuds/TheGreatCatsby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magic is just science we haven't discovered yet. Is that true?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by Tom Hiddleston saying that Frigga pretty much taught Loki magic. It was also inspired by some spoilery footage. Also by Jane Foster's love of science.

“Loki-“

“No.” 

Loki, Thor, and Jane are situated in the opening of a cave on Svartalfheim. Loki has retreated to a corner, cloaked in shadows. Jane and Thor bask in the light of the fire, but Thor can’t help but worry. 

He tries again, “Loki.” 

Loki shoots him a glare. “Thor.” 

“You have been…quiet,” Thor says. “Ever since-“ He swallows. It is still hard to say. Since Frigga died. Since Malekith killed her. “We need to be a united front. We need to work together if we want to avenge our mother’s death.” 

Loki opens his mouth and chokes on a word, or a sentence—it’s impossible to tell, because he doesn’t finish it. Instead he clamps his mouth shut and looks away. 

“I know you’re upset,” Thor continues, “but you haven’t talked to anyone. You need-“

“I need nothing,” Loki snarls. “I do not wish to talk. I want nothing from you.” 

Thor looks at his hands, resting in his lap. Jane puts a small hand on his shoulder. 

They say nothing for the rest of the night. 

**

It isn’t ideal, but they need food and Thor does not wish for Jane to join him on a hunt, nor does he wish for Loki to venture out into the woods alone in his condition. Thor isn’t sure whether he’s afraid of Loki running away, or something much worse. He remembers the blank look on his brother’s face as he fell into the void and disappeared. 

He leaves Loki and Jane, Jane still curled up by the fire, Loki partially hidden in the shadows, and hopes for the best. 

Jane is the first to move. She uncurls and sits up, looking past the fire and at the figure in the shadows. She has no reason to talk to Loki, to feel sympathy for him, but he is Thor’s brother and Thor loves him. She doesn’t trust him. But at the same time, she is tired of feeling awkward and insignificant among these people who call themselves gods and claim to be above mortals. 

So she will take matters into her own hands. 

“Magic,” she says, “is just science that we haven’t discovered yet.” Her voice echoes in the cave. 

Loki stiffens, and then, slowly, turns around. Anger still burns like fire in his eyes, but it is losing a battle to exhaustion. He raises an eyebrow. “What did you say?” 

“Magic is just science we haven’t discovered yet,” Jane repeats, holding herself straight and not looking away. “That’s the impression I got. Is it true?” 

Loki scrutinizes her for a moment, and Jane makes herself an open book. It isn’t that hard to act like she has no ulterior motive, because her ulterior motive—to dispel the awkwardness and quell boredom—is actually harmless, and she is genuinely curious about magic. Thor has offered her little in the way of useful information, but Loki, she has heard, is the resident expert on all things magical. And he is here, and they have time. 

“Why do you want to know about magic?” he asks. 

“I’m curious,” Jane says. “I’m a scientist. Of course I want to know if one day humanity can reproduce what you do. I mean, there’s some technology that I can already figure out how to work, advanced versions of tech we have back home. And then there’s something like the bifrost, which I can’t figure out yet, but might be able to given time. And then there’s the magic you perform—illusions, teleportation, conjuring things out of thin air, channeling pure energy and directing it at something. I want to know if these are all different or the same, and if humanity might be able to use it.” She’s rambling, but she doesn’t care. He’s staring at her, but the harsh emotions in his face have softened with her words. If he isn’t warming to her exactly, then at least he is interested enough not to outright hate her. 

“You wish for humans to be able to use magic,” he says. 

“Yes. Well, yes and no,” Jane says, “because on the one hand, that would be great. But on the other hand, even if we can’t use it I want to know how it works because a completely different way of things working is fascinating. I mean, this isn’t something anyone else has ever seen in their lifetimes. Except the Avengers. And SHIELD. But most people think that magic is the stuff of fairytales, and…” She trails off, thinking about the books she’s read. 

Fantasy become fact. 

Loki draws himself up. Jane doesn’t move or back away, even though part of her understands that he could be coming closer to attack, to kill, regardless of Thor’s threats. This is a man, she knows, who has nothing to lose. 

Instead, Loki takes a seat across from her. He folds his hands like a professor about to teach a lesson. And then he says, “There are different ways that magic is incorporated into every day life. You mentioned technology. Yes, some technology is purely a feat of what you might call science, utilizing various rules of the universe to put together devices that make our lives easier. There is no magic involved, just a higher understanding of how science works. Given time, you could easily replicate such technology.” 

Jane leans forward, her face growing warm from the flames, but it isn’t the warmth she’s interested in. 

“Other technology,” Loki continues, “like the bifrost, relies on magic and technology, fused together seamlessly to create something that would otherwise not function through conventional means. The bifrost requires huge amounts of energy. However, not all of this magical technology is lost to those who cannot wield magic.” 

“So you use magic to produce the huge amounts of energy?” Jane asks. 

“Yes, though often not individually. Multiple sorcerers will work together, and various runes will allow the magic to function.” 

Jane frowns, thinking. “Runes are like equations.” 

“If you like,” Loki says. 

“And you don’t necessarily need magic to create huge amounts of energy,” Jane continues. “The Tesseract-“

“Is something that mortals no longer have access to,” Loki cuts her off. 

“Stark created the arc reactor, which produces large amounts of energy in a relatively safe manner,” Jane points out. “It’s not the Tesseract but it’s the next best thing.” 

“And what would you use that energy to create?” Loki asks. 

“A bifrost,” Jane says. 

Loki raises both eyebrows this time, his mouth pressed in a thin line. 

“What?” Jane asks. 

“You wish to make a bifrost,” Loki says. “And to where would this bifrost go?” 

“Asgard,” Jane says. “Other places. Anywhere.” 

“Do you know what lies on the other side?” 

“I’d find out,” Jane says. There’s hope, now, welling up inside her chest. Her work hasn’t been futile. Loki has given her a confirmation. 

“You would endanger your planet,” Loki tells her. “You may open a door to a dangerous place. Or to no place at all.” 

“We’d take precautions,” Jane says. “I wouldn’t go in blind. SHIELD would help me if they thought it was safe.”

Loki smirks. “Your ambition is caged.” 

“No. If I thought something was unsafe I wouldn’t do it. And if SHIELD still tries to stop me after I’ve done everything I can to make sure this portal is safe, then I’ll do it anyway. Screw SHIELD, this is my project.” Jane finds herself almost angry at the prospect of SHIELD limiting her. Again. Her voice echoes in the cave. “This is my life’s work.” 

Loki’s smirk fades and he looks into the fire, which dances. Jane wonders if she struck a nerve, but if she has, he can deal with it. So what if he wants Asgard to be the only place with a bifrost? So what if puny humans shouldn’t have that kind of technology? Jane thinks they should and she’ll make it happen. 

She turns around and looks out onto the landscape. The sun is setting. Thor still hasn’t returned, and she can’t see him in the distance, so he must still be deep in the forest. 

“The third type of magic,” comes Loki’s soft voice from behind her, “is personal. The energy comes partially from within, enough to be aware of the energy of the universe itself that surrounds each and every one of us.” Jane turns back. Loki is staring into the fire, hands clasps together, and he looks far away. Shadows dance on his face, making him look hungry. “Not everyone has this ability to sense the energies of the universe, let alone pull at it. True sorcerers can sense everything. Others excel at only certain types of magic. Thor can sense electricity, but he is limited in every other aspect of magic. I can sense everything. If you do not have this sense, you cannot manipulate the universe. It would be like trying to cheat death without immortality.” 

“Impossible,” Jane murmurs, swallowing. Something she can never replicate. 

“Yes,” Loki breathes. They sit in silence for a few moments, while the flames flicker and dance. Then he says, “Frigga taught me magic. Odin wanted us to become warriors, but I learned that my talents lie not in the sword but in manipulating the universe. Odin didn’t approve, but my mother knew that I would be happier studying something I truly loved. Magic was natural to me, as swinging a weapon was natural to Thor. She cultivated my talents and encouraged my studies, until I could teach myself. She kept me going despite the ridicule. Without her…” He trails off. 

“I’m sorry,” Jane says, even though it’s inadequate. Even though there is nothing she can say that will make up for what happened. Still, she tries. “Losing a parent can be hard. I lost my parents and I still miss them.” Her throat feels tight. 

Loki glances up at her. “You have no family?” he asks. 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Jane says. “I made a family. Dr. Selvig is like a father to me. Darcy’s become like a sister.” 

Loki looks away. From behind her, Jane hears the crunch of footsteps, becoming louder. She turns around to see Thor striding up to the cave entrance, a deer-like creature slung over his shoulder like a particularly heavy sack. He tosses the creature on the floor at the edge of the cave and smiles at Jane, who smiles back. 

Loki stands up. “I’ll skin the beast,” he says. 

Thor looks surprised, but he quickly tries to hide the emotion. “Are you sure?” 

“I feel the need to work with my hands,” Loki says, brandishing a knife. He walks over to the creature and kneels down beside it, slicing the knife through skin. 

Thor watches him work. Blood stains his pale hands. Thor smiles and turns to Jane. 

She feels what he feels. There is hope. They can work together. Loki misses Frigga, too. He can work towards a common goal with Thor. 

She hopes. 

**

In the space of a few seconds, the tide turns. 

They find themselves on the streets of London, strewn with debris, devoid of people. It is too quiet, save for the sound of buildings crumbling where they were too damaged to remain standing, and rushing water from where the river Thames was displaced in the battle. 

Malekith is gone. 

Thor walks over to Loki, who stares down one of the streets, gathering himself. The battle was rough. Malekith tried to get Loki on his side, and Loki nearly joined him. Instead, he helped save Midgard, and Jane. 

Thor puts a hand on Loki’s shoulder, exclaiming, “Brother, rejoice, for we have won the battle!” 

Loki whirls around and shoves his arm into Thor’s midsection. Thor makes a choking noise and falls to his knees. Loki kicks him in the chest, and Thor ends up on his back, head cracking against the pavement. Jane yells out in shock and clamps a hand over her mouth. Loki glances up at her and then back at Thor, his teeth bared. He is shaking. 

“This is not winning,” he growls, and it is then that Jane notices Thor pulling a small dagger out of his midsection. Her mind can’t process the information—Loki stabbed Thor, Loki helped them, Loki stabbed Thor. “You lost.” 

“What-“

Loki conjures another weapon in his hands—a long, golden spear. “I have lost everything,” he says, “and have gained nothing. Thor, you cannot return what was lost. You cannot even begin to understand-“

“Loki, I, too, mourn mother’s death,” Thor cries, tossing the dagger aside. Mjornir lies a few feet away, and though he reaches out towards the weapon, he doesn’t seem to want to use it. “I understand. I loved her, too. We avenged her death, together. You worked with me, brother.” 

“It wasn’t for your sake,” Loki snarls. “You claim to understand, but you never will. And now,” he raises his voice, and with it, the scepter, “I have nothing.” 

“You have me,” Thor says. 

A tear runs down Loki’s cheek. Jane would have missed it had she not been staring at him. “I never had you,” Loki says, too soft and calm for his next action. He brings down the scepter on Thor’s out-stretched left arm and there is a sickening crunch, followed by a scream of pain. 

And then there is blood, lots of it, flowing from Thor’s arm onto the pavement, turning it pitch black. 

Loki turns the scepter in his hands, bringing the pointed edge up, and he steps towards Thor’s head. Thor grits his teeth as Loki leans down and murmurs, “I will not kill you this day. First, I will make you regret. I will make you feel pain so that you know what true pain is. And then, I will put you out of your misery like an injured dog.” Loki straightens up and catches sight of Jane, who stares back at him. 

And then the anger takes over and she screams at him. “I trusted you! Thor trusted you!”

Loki disappears, and there is nothing for Jane to scream at. There isn’t smoke, or a glow, he is simply there one moment and then not there. 

Jane runs towards Thor, whose hand seems to be attached by a too small stretch of skin to the rest of his arm. White bone shines through the blood. It makes her feel dizzy, but she leans forward and tears off a bit of her dress and begins making a rudimentary binding. 

Thor is barely conscious, too pale. He turns his head towards her and struggles to form words. Jane tells him things like, “It’s fine, we’ll get help, it’ll be fine” and doesn’t tell him that he’ll probably lose his hand. 

But help is nowhere to be found. 

And then she remembers. 

She looks up at the sky and says, like a prayer, “Heimdall, open the bifrost.” 

The sky opens up above her, and soon she and Thor are rushing towards Asgard.


End file.
